Three Reasons To Upgrade Your Home's Electrical System
Older homes may look lovely and up to date on the surface, but many hide a dark secret — outdated electrical systems that are both inconvenient and dangerous. Trying to work with an outdated residential electrical system poses a shock hazard, fire risk, and a danger to your appliances and devices. The following are three reasons to hire a residential electrician for repairs and upgrades.
1. Outdated Panel
The most obvious reason to upgrade your home's electrical system is that the panel is outdated. Most modern homes are equipped to bring in 150 amps of power or more, where as many older panels can only handle 60 amps or less. Further, outdated panels may not trip as they are supposed to if the circuit becomes overloaded, which can pose a fire hazard. An electrician can come in and update your panel so it can handle the load of modern appliances and devices while also ensuring that it's safe.
2. Ungrounded Outlets
Older homes often have ungrounded outlets. If you have a lot of outlets that only have slots for two prongs and not for the third grounding prong, then your outlets aren't properly grounded. Many people try to work around this with adapters, but unfortunately these adapters do not provide any grounding so there is the risk for shock, fire, and shorting out of the devices. Have the old outlets updated to grounded outlets. Further, have outlets equipped with GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) installed in bathrooms, kitchens, or anywhere that has water near an outlet. These outlets, which are the ones that feature the little red test button, immediately shut off in the event of a short.
3. Insufficient Outlets
A major issue for those living in an older home is insufficient outlets. People of the past simply did not use as many devices and appliances as are in use in a modern home. Using extension cords, outlet extenders, and power strips only provides a temporary reprieve and increases the chance of an electrical fire due to an overloaded outlet. Instead, bring in an electrician to install additional grounded outlets throughout your home. As a bonus, you can even have some modern outlet types installed for your devices, such as USB or USB-C compatible outlets. Have the outlets installed where you need them, as well. For example, many kitchens can benefit from countertop outlets or in-cabinet outlets for use with small appliances.
Contact a residential electrician for more help.